Dancing Blades
by Angeluswings
Summary: Once off the courts he is the angel of the night. Tennis is not what he always thinks about. How will everyone he knows deal with his true self?
1. Wounds and Lies

This is my first PoT fic. Hope you enjoy! It will have a mix of the magical in it and Ryoma will have to play the hero.

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or manga/anime.**

**Dance of Blades**

There was blood dripping from his wounded shoulder. The young man sighed because he had to be at practice in a few hours. It would be hard, but with a lot of wrapping and using his right hand for a week, he should be fine.

"Ryoma-kun, you need to be more careful." Nanako told her younger cousin. She was one of the few that knew Echizen Ryoma's secret. This last fight frightened her since it was one of the worst wounds he had received yet. There was so much blood and it was taking awhile to stop it from dripping everywhere.

"I know. Mada mada dane." The dark haired youth sighed. He was careless this time around. It would be the last time, for next time he might be killed. They were getting stronger and seemed to have multiplied since the last time.

"Oh no! You need to get ready for school. Okay, just remember to not overuse your arm and try not to have anyone jostle it too much." Nanako fretted about how he would handle going to school in his condition.

"Hai and don't worry so much. Ja ne." Ryoma left for school and early morning tennis practice. Usually he would he catch a bike ride with his friend Momoshiro, a sophomore on his tennis team. Today though Momo had to go early and talk to their coach. The young teen hoped that he could survive a whole day with his not so sane senpais. Each one had such weird personalities, that Ryoma wondered why he hadn't gone insane yet.

"Echizen!" Momoshiro put the freshman into a headlock, just like everyday. "You're actually early for once," said the older boy.

"Ochibi! Nya, how are you today?" asked the ever happy and hyper Kikumaru Eiji. He had glomped Ryoma the minute the young boy walked into the locker room.

"Daijobu," said Ryoma in his reserve voice. The freshman couldn't say much else since the happy senior had jolted the injury shoulder with his glomp. The pain racking his body was immense, but Ryoma learned how to suppress those things.

"Everyone go out and do your warm ups!" barked the buchou of the group. Tezuka was trying to get the regulars ready for the next tournament. Practice was going to be more intense then ever before.

As everyone started to filter out of the locker room, Ryoma lagged behind before taking off his shirt to have a proper look at his shoulder. Blood was starting to leak through the bandages and it wouldn't last the rest of the day if he didn't fix it soon. Taking out some fresh bandages he tried to repair the damages himself, but it was hard since he couldn't wrap them properly.

He was so distracted trying to fix his wounds that Ryoma didn't see someone walk back into the room. He was startled by a scream from the door.

"Ah! Ochibi is bleeding!" yelled Kikumaru. He was sent back by Oishi to see what was taking the baby of the team so long.

Soon the locker room was filled up with the regulars and the freshman trio to see what was wrong. The sight of blood had Takashi Kawamura feeling sick and almost fainted. Even the tensai of the team Fuji was shocked at the sight of blood.

"Echizen, what happened?" asked Tezuka.

"…Nothing." Ryoma was unsure on how to get out of this situation. Oishi was fussing over him like a mother hen and Taka finally passed out.

"Nothing! How did you get hurt?" Momo was upset that his best friend was injured to such a degree that blood was starting to pour out.

Ryoma decided to keep silent on the issue and hoping no one would ask anymore questions, but that didn't work. They got louder and more persistent.

"Ochibi! Don't die!" Eiji was panicking and flapping his around.

"Echizen will not die. I calculate he should be okay, if we rewrap his wound," interrupted Inui. He was writing down everything in his notebook and talking to himself. The rest looked at him with only a sigh. How he can stay calm in such a situation is a mystery.

Tezuka took the bandages and helped take off the old ones. Ryoma gritted his teeth as they stuck to some of the blood that dried. The regulars flinched at the sight of the hole in Ryoma's shoulder, it looked like he was stabbed by something big. After it was wrapped up again, a staring contest began.

Sighing Tezuka once again took over. "Everyone back to practice I'll take care of Echizen." Protest began, but when the threat of 100 laps was brought up they reluctantly made their way out.

"What happened?"

"…"

"Echizen, did you get attack by anyone from another school? By a family member?"

"Iie, to both questions." He was quickly coming up with a suitable answer about the hole in his shoulder. Some were crazy and others more plausible. Before he could choose a proper one Tezuka asked his question again.

"Then how?"

"I was helping my cousin in the kitchen when I slipped on some water and the knife she was using crashed down with me to the floor. It pierced my shoulder and since I don't like hospitals, we stopped the bleeding to the best of our ability."

Tezuka was unsure about that answer. It could happen, but since when is Echizen clumsy? Deciding to leave it alone for now, Ryoma was excused from practice.

"Try to take it easy. We don't need you dying on us."

"Hai, buchou."

Rumors were running around the school about the tennis star and the wound he had. It ranged from him being in a gang war to attempted kidnapping. He laughed in his head because if only they knew what really happened. Only problem was his fangirls. Once they heard their "Ryoma-sama" was hurt they made a big deal of following him around and asking if he was okay. Ryoma really felt like crying by then. The girls were already scary enough

Another gossip topic for the day was about the strange shadow creatures that have been attacking the city and the guy called Fallen Angel who stops them. It was said they would come out of the night and shadows with powers unknown. The creatures seemed to target major areas of the city. Fallen Angel would mysteriously appear and fight off the creatures. His sword seemed to blaze like a flame in the night.

"Echizen, did you hear that Fallen Angel was sighted again last night?" asked Horio, one of the freshman trio.

"Hmmm?"

"Man, listen up. This guy he stops those shadow things with a sword. A sword! While the police can't even stop them with their bullets. It's weird." Horio's eye began to twitch when he noticed that Ryoma wasn't paying any attention. Ryoma knew all about those "shadow things." The rumors only serve to amuse the young tennis star.

School flew by and Ryoma avoided all questions about his shoulder, since by lunch it had healed. He would just have to wear bandages for awhile, what a pain. But it would look suspicious if the next day he didn't have a hole in his shoulder anymore.

At tennis practice in the afternoon, he was told to just watch the matches that were going on. It was a pretty peaceful day, but like the calm before the storm all hell broke loose.

**TBC**

I hope everyone liked this first chapter. Pairings will happen as the story progress, but I'm not sure who will go with whom yet. Please Review!


	2. Sickness

So far people have asked for a TezRyo or a FujiRyo pairing. I haven't made up my mind yet. Thanks for the great compliments!

**Disclaimer: I don't own PoT.**

**Dancing Blades**

It was midnight in the sleeping city. Children were dreaming and parents were secured in the knowledge that nothing would disturb their little world. Outside in the darkness creatures that were found only in nightmares were creeping along in the shadows. Bent on destruction and terror of human kind they knew no mercy. Only one person stood in between them. He seemed to have come from above. With wings as black as a moonless night and a sword that blazed with the fires of hope, he fights the shadows. Stopping all that would destroy the world.

The fight this night was something no one could have ever imagined. The creatures were pouring out of the shadows in a never ending stream. Their black scaley skin and sharp claws were close to ripping his skin off. His sword, Virtue, was moving quickly through their hearts. Stab and tug. That was what he did, but it was not enough. Flipping backwards Fallen avoided almost having his head ripped off his shoulders. His breath could be heard and his glowing cat eyes shined with fires of determintation that he was known for in everyday life.

"You will not win tonight," he hissed at them. Flapping his wings the fallen angel used the power of the wind behind them to blow some of the creatures back. Analyzing the situation, he decided the best course was to use 'it.' He promised his cousin that he wouldn't use that power unless it was absolutly necessary and it was necessary.

His right hand began to glow with a red light. Soon the light grew bigger, until the color became white. The creatures were destroy because the light was too much. "Even in the darkess of places there will always be some light," he said. As he looked around, he didn't notice that somehow one of the creatures survived his energy blast. Before he could sense it, it pierced his side with its claws. Growling Fallen stabbed it through the head. The creature disappeared in a whisp of black smoke.

"Shit, Nanako is going to kill me," he sighed. With the last of his energy Fallen Angel took to the skies and flew towards home.

**Echizen's Home**

"Kami, Ryoma-kun what happened!" Nanako was in a panic. Her little cousin walked in with blood pooling around his feet and bags under his eyes. She knew that he had used his light powers again. Nanako was worried all night, ever since Ryoma told her the creatures were starting to double in numbers.

"I was caught off guard and one slipped through my guard and shoved its claws into me." All he wanted was some sleep and maybe some food later on.

"Nanako-chan, can you please bring the antiseptic and bandages for me?" asked Echizen Rinko. Her poor baby was out there alone and fighting to stop the shadow creatures. She wanted to cry, but instead kept it all inside because Ryoma needed support at home.

"Kaasan, can I stay home today? I normally wouldn't ask, but the others are already suspicious of my last wounds and might cause problems if they saw these ones."

"Okay, I'll call your school and tell them your sick." Though he rarely showed his emotions, Rinko could see the thanks in his eyes.

"Ryoma, we need to start to train you on the next level for your powers since these creatures are starting to multiply," said Nanjiro. He never called his son by his first name unless it was completely important.

Ryoma nodded as his wounds were attended to. Not only did he have the gapping hole on his side but several smaller cuts and bruises marred his chest and arms. As he went to bed he wondered how his team will react to him being 'sick.'

**Seishun Academy**

"Nya, where is Ochibi?" Eiji knew that the freshman was one to never miss practice. Be late? Yes. But he didn't miss practice.

"I'm sure he overslept again," said Momo with a smile.

As practice continued on Ryoma never showed up. Later it was told that his mother called him in sick. Momo and Eiji agreed that they would go see him later after tennis practice. The day wore on and soon it was coming to a close. Momo waited outside for Eiji, but was surprise to see all of the regulars were going to come along to Ryoma's home.

Tezuka buzzed the gate and spoke to Nanako. "I'm sorry to bother you, but we were wondering if we could visit Echizen. We're from the tennis club."

"Ah, hold on a minute."

The gate opened and a young woman let them into the house. The group stood in the living room, while Nanako went to get Ryoma.

"Hello, senpai-tachi," said a tired voice from the stairs.

"Ochibi! You look terrible."

"Aa."

In fact Ryoma looked like a train had ran him over, several times. Dark circles were under his eyes, his normally firey eyes were dimmed and his body was not in an arrogant stance, but rather slumped over.

"Echizen, I hope you get better. The tournament is not to far away," said Tezuka. His next Pillar of Seigaku was important in winning the tournament.

"Echizen, when you get better we'll go get some burgers. My treat." Momo was sure it would help cheer the miserable looking boy up.

As the group was getting ready to leave Fuji lingered to make sure Ryoma was truly okay. He noticed that the younger boy was leaning to the left side as if keeping pressure off something. He would have to keep an eye on the freshman for now on. He was hiding something.

After they were gone Ryoma turned towards his cousin. "A couple of them are suspicious of my sudden sickness. I have to be careful for a few days." With a groan he got back to feet and went back to bed. His wounds were slowly healing and by tomorrow only a scar should be left.

Before he went to school the next day Nanjiro reminded him that they would start the next level of training.

"Hai." Ryoma walked to school and made it to tennis practice on time again. He sighed before straightening up and walked into the locker room. He was greeted with happy surprise faces.

"Ochibi!" he was glomped by Eiji and was given a noogie from Momo.

"Ohayo," he said quietly. Ryoma has given up trying to get the two from hugging him to death.

"Saa, Echizen do you feel better?" Fuji was smiling at the freshman, but no one noticed the glimpse of blue in his eyes. The tensai is already on the trail of Ryoma's secrets. He was intrigued and was ready to discover everything.

"Daijobu, Fuji-senpai."

"Everyone, warm up" As the group went out, Tezuka stopped Ryoma. "Echizen are you really feeling better?"

"Hai, buchou. I can practice today." Ryoma still needed to change and wanted no one to see the scar he received.

"Just don't push yourself." Tezuka left the locker room to go join the warm ups.

The young teen sighed and got ready for practice. He loves tennis, was completely obsessed with being the best, but he just didn't have the energy to listen about being the Pillar of Seigaku. Buchou was more likely going to kill him with responsibility before the shadow creatures.

Practice went smoothly, with the exception of Inui's vegetable juice being drunk by half of the tennis club. The regulars once again were saved thanks to there drive to not drink it.

"Remember to get a good night of sleep and try not to be late tomorrow." Tezuka was ready to do well tomorrow.

As the regulars were leaving Ryoma didn't notice that at least two of them were following him. The still drained freshman was going home to prepare for the night. He had learned how to unleash a lighting style attack. A thunderbolt would rain from the sky and strike anything in his path.

"Fuji, are you sure he is hiding something?" asked Inui. He too noticed a difference in the freshman's attitude. It wasn't obvious to most but they were known for seeing the smallest details.

"Hai. Echizen seems more distant. It's not noticeable, but he is more withdrawn." Fuji had his eyes open and the blue steel in his eyes were shining with determination. He wanted to know everything about the freshman.

**TBC**

Yeah, the second chapter is done. Hope you send great reviews!


	3. Ally

So far TezRyo pairing is winning.

TezRyo: 9 votes

FujiRyo: 3 votes

MomoRyo: 1 vote

It will be awhile before any pairings pop up. Thank you for the nice reviews!

**Disclaimer: I don't own PoT.**

**Dancing Blades**

Once Ryoma entered his home he got ready for the night to come. He always knew when the shadow creatures were going to attack because of a flaring pain that comes in his heart. He went out back and took out his practice sword. After getting in a few stances, he shadow sparred. Twisting and turning his body, it was a deadly dance. Beautiful and full of passion, the blade went flashing quickly and elegantly.

"Are you ready?" asked his dad. Nanjiro may not always show it, but he cared for his son. Each night the boy went out both parents stayed up waiting for him to come home, worried one day he may never appear again.

"I'll always be ready."

"Be careful. Last two times you came back wounded. You may be killed this time."

"I know." The boy just gave his dad a smirk and walked back into the house. This was a signal to show that the boy was equally worried, but was ready to always fight for peace.

**Fuji and Inui**

"Fuji, I'm going to go home. He hasn't come out and nothing amiss seemed to have happen so far. Maybe I'll fine more data tomorrow."

"It's okay. I'll wait a few more minutes." As Inui left Fuji kept a vigil near the Echizen home. He knew tonight something was going to happen and he wanted to witness it for himself. The dangers of staying out this late were high, especially with the shadow creatures lurking around.

The night grew colder and lights in houses were turning off. Fuji was ready to go when he saw something near Echizen's house. It was a figure cloaked in black and had dark wings.

"Fallen Angel?" Why was a legendary being in this part of town? Fuji tried following the flying person, but lost him when they reached the main part of the city. The senior was about to give up when he heard sounds of fighting. Peering carefully around the corning of a building Fuji's eyes grew wide.

A figure in black was twirling around the shadow creatures with a sword. It flashed in the darkness quickly and effortlessly. The flames lighting the darkness. Fuji watched as the figure suddenly switched hands in midstep. Wait, that footwork looked familiar. His blue eyes opened as the figure doge the slash of claws and again switched hands again.

"No," he whispered. Only one other person was ever known, besides Echizen Nanjiro, to do a change of hands during a step. That person was Echizen Ryoma. Before Fuji knew it the figure leapt over him and slashed a shadow creature across the chest that was coming up behind the senior.

"Get out of here!"

Fuji decided to do as he was told and ran away from the darkness. He felt anguish knowing that the younger boy was fighting the evils in the shadows by himself. Fuji didn't know where he was until he saw that he was by the Echizen home once again. Looking back in the direction he ran from the tensai saw a flash of bright light coming from the skies above.

"May Kami protect you, Ryoma." The senior had rarely used the freshman's first name and for some reason had the need to say it out loud. He knew the situation was serious. This night showed him that the blood and wounds the boy came to school with was because he was protecting them all. Fuji decided that he will keep this secret to himself.

The next day Fuji kept glancing at Ryoma. He noticed yet another scar across the boy's stomach when he went for a jump smash. It wasn't noticeable by the others though as everyone was getting ready for the tournament. After practice he went up to the freshman and asked if he could talk to him.

"Hai, Fuji-senpai."

The two walked in the general direction of the public tennis courts, neither talked about anything. Ryoma was wondering what his senpai needed. The tensai was not someone very close to him.

"Ryoma, I know your secret."

Ryoma was startled. How? "What do you mean Fuji-senpai?"

"The moves Fallen Angel did last night were so similar to the ones you use on the tennis courts that I knew it was you. Especially the two hand style. I promise not to tell anyone." He watched as the younger boy contemplated the newest obstacle in his life. Looking the tensai in the eye Ryoma had his answer.

"Well, it would help to have someone on the team know. Coming to school everyday and trying to hide the marks is hard and if someone knew then it would be less of an explanation."

"Just be careful." Fuji had opened his eyes to give the freshman his most serious look. That was when they formed a bond. It was a bond based on trust and a new friendship.

"I will." Ryoma also showed how serious he was by not even giving Fuji his usual smirk. Giving a small smile the freshman left the courts and went home. He was going hunting again tonight.

**Midnight**

"Aaaahhhh!" screamed Fallen as he dropped from the skies into the middle of the shadow creatures. Rained had started to fall and it made visibility of the creatures a challenge, but everyone knows Ryoma likes challenges.

He called out his sword and spun his body in a circle by the balls of his feet. Virtue was cutting through the creatures efficiently.

/ Just a few more./ he thought. With each creature's demise, another would take its place. Tonight was like a never ending dance. Ryoma was growing tired. He had been in battle for over two hours. He did one light attack, but it seems the creatures were growing use to them, plus the rain reduced the strength of said attack.

"I will beat you!" Using the last of his energy the freshman did the deadly dance once more. He used the last ounce of power to call forth the most powerful of his lightening attacks. The sky above began to sizzle and then several bolts struck the area. Ryoma used his wings to get him away from any water that might help electrocute him.

Dropping to the ground he heaved in as much oxygen as he could to his tired lungs. Wobbling to his feet Ryoma surveyed the area.

"I told you I would beat you," he said with triumph. The sun was getting ready to rise and the young boy knew he had to make it home some how. Deciding it was best to change back to his everyday look, Ryoma didn't want to be discovered by anyone out at this time.

**Echizen Home**

"Tadaima." The instant he entered three worried people jumped on him.

"Kami! You look terrible!" Nanako rushed him into the living room and had him take off his shirt to inspect the newest batches of wounds.

"Ryoma, you look like you might collapse at any moment." It was true. He had bags under his eyes, no spark of fire in his cat like eyes, and his posture was so droopy he looked like he was going to sleep sitting up.

"Can you make it to school?"

"Hai, but probably not practice. My body needs at least one hour of sleep." Ryoma could barely see his family in front of him. He was so tired and drained, that he was surprise he even made it home.

"Oh, you said Fuji-san knew about your secret. I can have him convey the message then." Nanako went to call the tensai while the parents kept an eye on their son.

"Kaasan, Momo-senpai is supposed to pick me up. Can you also tell him?"

"Hai. You go get some sleep." As the freshman went upstairs he didn't see the worried looks his parents were giving.

"He needs more strength." Nanjiro didn't know what to do. In order for the boy to be strong enough to fight he would have to go away for at least a year.

"I know, but the only place he could go is back to the US."

"We'll think on this later."

**Last Battle Area**

A young man reached the area in which Fallen Angel and the shadow creatures last fought. He bent down and scooped up some of the blood that had dripped to the ground.

"I'll find you now," he whispered. Without anyone seeing the man vanished inside the shadows that were still not gone from the rays of the rising sun.

**TBC**

Yeah! Another chapter done. I hope everyone likes it so far. Review Please


	4. Exposed

I'm happy everyone has liked the story so far. Here are the results of the pairings that have arrived:

TezRyo: 11

FujiRyo: 4

MomoRyo: 3

No pairing: 1

I'm still undecided myself. The voting will stop when the story progresses more.

**Disclaimer: I don't own PoT.**

**Dancing Blades**

"Find him. Destroy the defender of the light."

"Hai, my lord." A shadow of a man shimmered out of the room. Around the dais where the lord sat, shadow creatures roamed within the darkness of the surrounding room.

"Scion, prepare another attack tonight. This time go closer to the homes of the light dwellers."

"As you wish my lord." A man with dark blue hair and onyx colored eyes bowed towards the throne and left.

**Seigaku Academy**

Despite his cold attitude and seemingly uninterested look upon anything not tennis, Tezuka Kunimitsu was completely aware of everything going on. He noticed when the other players were hurt, or when Inui was thinking up a new vegetable juice to torture the players. So, it is no surprise then for him to notice that Fuji and Echizen were becoming closer.

"Tezuka, are you okay?" asked Oishi. He noticed that his best friend seemed less focused on the players who were rallying on the courts. Kaido hit another boomerang snake against Momo, which was returned with a lob.

"Hai. Go warm up you have a match against Eiji in a few minutes."

Oishi could only sigh and go do what his buchou asked. Tezuka continued to watch the matches, but wasn't paying great deal of attention to them. Echizen was hiding something. What though?

"Buchou, who am I to play against?" Speak of the devil. Ryoma stood in front of the stoic Tezuka with a curious look.

"Inui, said he needed you to work on your stamina. So, you will be running around the courts a few times before your match."

Ryoma just grunted and started his exercises. Buchou was acting weird lately. He watched Ryoma more, especially when Fuji was nearby. Did he also find out? No, Buchou has other things on his mind. Tezuka, was probably thinking Fuji was torturing the freshman.

When Ryoma was done with his laps Tezuka had him play against Taka. That was harsh, since the burning serve was one of the few that Ryoma had to use a great deal of strength to beat.

After practice Fuji and Ryoma walked towards the Echizen home. Both were a little apprehensive about Tezuka's steady gaze upon them.

"Fuji-senpai, why is Tezuka-buchou always looking at us?"

"Hmmm… I'm not sure. We need to be careful. Even though he seems cold, Tezuka really cares for all of us." Fuji was one of the few people close to Tezuka and knew that the Buchou of Seigaku had strong feelings for the freshman, it just wasn't very obvious to anyone else.

"Hn." Ryoma knew that Buchou wasn't always cold, but it was hard to tell what the older teen was thinking. The freshman gave out a small sigh and looked up to the sky. The sun was still out, but soon darkness would come and he had to be ready.

"Ryoma, be careful. I saw your last wound and it was the worst. You have an amazing healing factor, but it can't help you if you are killed." Ryoma knew Fuji was serious because of the intense blue gaze aimed at him. Fuji only truly opened his eyes when something was very serious.

Echizen did something that was completely out of character for himself, he hugged Fuji. At first the older teen was surprised but he then just smiled. He knew it was Ryoma's way of saying thanks for caring. Fuji couldn't help it. The younger boy was a magnet. Be you hated him or loved him, Echizen Ryoma had something that drew people to him. For Fuji it was the hidden strengths and understanding that the freshman let out rarely. Fuji felt privilege to be one of the people to see those hidden talents.

"Saa, Ryoma if you need help I'll be there." With that the older boy left Echizen by his house. The freshman needed to time to prepare for tonight.

Later that night Ryoma stayed up waiting for the signs that the city was going to be attacked. He was worried. It was only a couple hours till dawn and still no calls were made into the night. The darkness was planning something big. What? Ryoma was about to turn in when he felt them.

"No, they are too close to the homes!" Without thinking he shifted forms and flew off into the night. It was trap. The young teen knew this, but he made a promise long ago to protect the light from the growing darkness. While the dark wasn't always bad, the one brought by the shadow creatures would destroy the world.

"Little hunter, it's nice to meet you." Out of the shadows stepped a man with dark hair and eyes.

"Hn. Who are you?" Ryoma kept an eye on the new person and tried, at the same time, stay aware of the surrounding shadows.

"Scion. I'm here to see your abilities first hand." The man disappeared back into the shadows. The second that had happen the creatures attacked the teen. Ryoma ignored the presence of Scion and fought with all his might. The sleeping people were not meant to see the things of nightmares outside their own homes.

"Virtue!" The sword appeared from the sky and landed in front of Ryoma. The teen took the sword out of the ground and let it flash with the powers contained inside the steel. He had the tip of Virtue barely touching the ground to his left at an angle. His booted feet were placed also at a left angle and his hand held the sword with a practice ease. When the first creature surged forward Ryoma swung the sword up in an arc, slicing the creature into two. If he had a racket in his hand the movement of the sword would look like Oishi's 'moon volley.'

He used all of his senpais' moves from the court and incorporated them into his own sword style. Each creature fell to the power of Ryoma's sword. None survived. The on slaughter of the teen's skills was impressive and Scion wasn't easy to please.

/He is strong. How strong though/ thought Scion. From what he had seen so far Fallen definitely knew how to use a sword and was not only powerful but graceful.

The last creature fell when Scion made his presence known once more. "You are indeed very strong. Maybe next time we will fight." He left the hunter alone in the night with many thoughts racing in his head.

To say his parents were frightened would be saying that Inui love tormenting the other tennis regulars. Ryoma knew that the darkness was making a major move soon. He looked at his parents and told them his decision.

"I won't be leaving for more training. They will attack again. The people are in even more danger now that they have moved the attacks towards the homes."

"Are you sure?" asked his okaasan.

"Hai. I'm needed here. The darkness is growing and the light will lose hope. It is not only my duty, but my wish to remain and protect the people."

The two parents looked at one another and a look of defeat was seen on their faces. Ryoma will stay and protect. The teen would have to become stronger on by himself.

"Just be careful." Nanjiro wanted his son to be stronger, but at the same time safe.

**Seigaku Academy**

Ryoma entered the locker room with his usual blank face, but Fuji noticed the alert look within the freshman's eyes. It was as if he was ready to go on defense.

"Ryoma, you look…Distress. What's wrong?"

"Fuji-senpai, the darkness is coming closer and I am afraid that they might somehow attack during the day. How? I'm not sure."

Fuji looked into the cat like eyes and saw that the freshman was truly afraid. Not for himself, but he was afraid for the people surrounding him.

Before Fuji could ask anymore questions a scream was heard from the courts. The two boys ran outside to see what had happened and stopped short to see a blackness starting to cover the whole area.

"Kuso," whispered Ryoma. They somehow found a way to come out during the day. Neither boy had time to react before they too were cover within the darkness. The shadow creatures hissed at them.

The whole of the tennis team was heard onto the courts by the creatures, with the eight regulars and Inui in the middle. Standing on top of the fence stood a man. He was different from Scion. This one had long dirty blond hair with emerald green eyes.

"Which one of you is Fallen? He is here. The hounds found his sent in this place."

Many of the people on the courts were confused. Fallen Angel was here? He was a student in their school?

"Are you sure he is here?" asked Tezuka. He was wary of the shadow creatures. He too has heard about these monsters from nightmares. Barely anyone ever stayed outdoors at night anymore because of the fear of what the creatures might do. First most it was his duty to protect the people under his watch.

"Yesssss…I smell his sweet blood," growled a hound. They were pitch black dogs with glowing red eyes. Fangs that were razor sharp were bared at the group of boys. The stench of fear rose among the group.

"Little hunter come out or I will let loose the demons and destroy everyone in front of your eyes." The threat frightened everyone.

Ryoma felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Fuji-senpai gazing at him. He knew that his senpai didn't want him to reveal himself to the man, but the safety of everyone else came first. The freshman gave Fuji a small smile before turning serious eyes towards the man.

"Scion, didn't mention anymore of you showing up," said Ryoma. The tennis club turned wide eyes towards the young teen. He was pushing his way towards the man when another hand landed on his shoulder. This time it was Tezuka.

"Echizen, what is going on?"

"Buchou, watch the others."

"You're the hunter? Hmmm…hard to believe. Can you prove it?"

Ryoma glared at the man but decided to follow the request. He was sure the others maybe in danger if he didn't. A bright light enveloped the teen and then shattered with a flap of dark wings. Before everyone stood the legendary being that saved them all from the darkness.

"Little hunter, are you ready to face new creatures? Can you win?"

"I will always win," said Ryoma.

"We shall see. Go!" The command let loose the hounds and shadow creatures.

"Virtue!" The sword once again fell from the heavens in front of Ryoma. The powers within the sword gave him extra strength to create a barrier around the tennis team.

The people within the dome could only watch as the freshman danced the dance of death with the monsters. The two that worried the most were Tezuka and Fuji. For the first time in their lives they felt helpless.

Ryoma held back a scream of pain when a hound bit his left wing. The hound had ripped out a good chunk of meat and exposed some of the muscles beneath the feathers. He twirled Virtue around and stabbed the hound through the head. Unlike the shadow creatures, who disappear in a puff of smoke, the hounds sizzle away with a sort of fire.

He next had to twist on the balls of his feet and swing Virtue around with his body. This effectively cut through several shadow creatures and behead a couple of hounds. Deciding to end the fight Ryoma summoned a new light power he recently learned.

"Heaven's Light!" The sky was filled with light brighter then the sun. It was like the calling of angels had been heard among everyone. The hounds and shadow creatures screamed in pain. The man hissed as the light hit him on his side.

"You'll pay little hunter." The man disappeared into the realm from which he came from.

"Ryoma!" yelled Fuji. He went to check up on the other teen. The boy's back was bleeding since his wings retracted. The bite of the hound appeared on his left shoulder blade.

"Ah, I was sloppy," Ryoma said before passing out. The use of his wings, a barrier, and the Heaven's Light was too much for his still developing body.

"Fuji, we need to talk," said Tezuka. His heart nearly stopped when he saw Ryoma fight the monsters. What was going on?

**TBC**

Sorry, it took so long to write the next chapter. I had it going, but was busy doing so many other things. Well, I hope you enjoyed it and the next one will be out soon. Please Read and Review


	5. Poison

Sorry I have been gone for so long. I've been trying to update all of my stories and being a beta for my brother. Well, since I've been gone for so long I have lost track of the pairings. It was definitely between TezuRyo and FujRyo. Well enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. I only own the idea.**

**Dancing Blades IV**

The Seishun regulars hurried to the locker room with Ryoma's unconscious body. They didn't know what to do. How does one help out a hero that is hurt? Fuji quickly grabbed some bandages that Ryoma had stashed in his tennis bag.

"Fuji, what just happened?" asked Oishi.

The tensai opened his blue eyes and looked at the group that surrounded Echizen. They were good people, but the truth might be a big shock to them. Today's event was already extremely stressful. They had been attacked during daylight. Ryoma warned Fuji that the darkness was becoming stronger. It was scary to think about it.

"Echizen-kun, is Fallen Angel. He has to go out every night and fight those things. No one else can do it, because no one has been trained to fight them. For the last couple of weeks they have become more active. That is why he has been so tired, or coming to practice with those cuts. It doesn't take long to heal, depending on how much power he uses, but he is tired out easily. He is still developing physically."

"Ano, is ochibi going to be okay?" asked Eiji. The acrobatic player was worried. Ochibi was so fragile looking right then. The normally bratty kid did not look as strong as he usually did.

"Hai, don't worry. He just used too much energy. His otousan said that this may happen once in awhile. The change, calling his sword, and protecting all of us was hard, plus you add in the fighting and you get a tired warrior."

As the group listened to the explanation they did not notice the slowly awakening Ryoma. The young hero was exhausted from the use of his light energy. His baka of otousan did warn him that he was still not strong enough to fight a top fighter from the dark. The shadow creatures were like pawns in chess. The darkness sent them out to test the power of the warriors of the light. The cat eyed boy grimaced at the thought of more training. Nanjiro will make Ryoma run drills until the young boy would collapse from exhaustion. This would continue everyday until there was no question that he, Ryoma, could actually fight and seal away the darkness.

"Would it be okay if we can help him train?" asked Oishi.

"Only if my baka no otousan says so." The sound of Ryoma's voice made the group jump. No one saw the younger boy sit up. "For now I need to erase today's battle from the rest of the team's mind."

Ryoma stood up and started staggering to the courts were the other members of the club still stood at. Raising his hand he called forth a small beam of light and let it disperse overhead. The light made a dome and eased into the minds of the people. Slowly it wrapped around the memories of the battle and wiped them from the mind of the club members. Only side effect would be a slight dizziness.

"What happened?" asked Kaido.

"I just cleaned the memories of the battle from their minds. It will not harm them. Light is part of us and so it will not hurt anyone."

Fuji frowned because he knew that Ryoma should not be doing anymore spells. He was proven right when once again Ryoma swayed and staggered back into the club house. He was caught by Tezuka before hitting the floor. The older male cradles the emerald haired boy to his chest and started walking towards the school gates.

"I want the rest of you to stay in school today. Later on we will speak to his family about helping Ryoma train. Fuji I need you to come with me. They know you know, so it will be easier if you speak to his family."

The rest agreed with him and went back to the courts. When Coach Ryuzaki came to practice the rest of the team had let her known that Ryoma had collapsed and the oldest two took him home.

"It's fine. I'll just see them later. Tell Ryoma to get better," she said.

* * *

Tezuka walked with Ryoma still in his arms back to the Echizen home. The buchou was afraid, not like one is before a big tournament. He was afraid that the younger male could be killed because of something beyond the control of an average person. Who would have thought that the cat eyed boy was the Fallen Angel? It was so hard to see. He was a brat, an overconfident tennis player, and still a child.

"Don't worry. He will survive. Remember he has always been a brave warrior." Fuji knew that Tezuka was inwardly afraid for Ryoma. It was not seen easily on the older male's face, but his eyes still gave him away.

"Hai."

They finally made it to the Echizen home and rang the outside buzzer. Not a second later Nanako let them through the gates. She gave a small cry and directed them to Ryoma's room.

"What happened to him?" fretted the college student.

"It seems that the dark creatures had become stronger. They actually attacked today on the tennis courts. They know who he is," explained Fuji.

Now Nanako was really afraid. That had meant the creatures could come after her young cousin at anytime. She knew that her uncle and aunt would need to know. Ryoma would be trained to the next levels. He could not play around anymore.

"So, it's time for the next level," said a voice from the doorway. Turning around they saw Echizen Nanjiro. The ex-tennis player looked at his son, who looked so pale lying on his bed, and could only sigh. "I'm sure you both have even more questions."

"Hai, we do, but I'm sure the others would want to know as well. They also wanted to know if we can help train him," said Fuji. The tensai looked at the older man with his blue eyes exposed and let Nanjiro how serious about the offer.

A groan came from the bed. Ryoma had finally awakened again, but the fog still covered his vision. His body felt like it was on fire. There was something wrong, he has never felt this way before.

"Tou-san, I think that the fangs of the dog shadows were poisoned," he gasped out before passing out once again that day.

"Kuso, Rinko isn't here. She knows how to fight different poisons." Nanjiro hurried out the room to call his wife. His called got to her office, but it turns out she was in the middle of a court case. Nanjiro was now even more worried. The rest of them had no idea how to fight poisons, expect maybe Ryoma and he was out again.

"We could call Inu. He is good with chemistry and understanding the human body," suggested Fuji.

Tezuka nodded his head. It was true Inu was a genius when it came to the way a person reacts to different stimulius, as seen by his various juices and extracts. Tezuka looked at his koha and could taste the fear on his tongue.

"We should help bring his temperature down," he suggested to Nanako.

"Hai, that would be helpful until Aunt Rinko gets home."

The four of them worked back and forth for an hour to lower Ryoma's blazing temperature. It was a hard fight, but they stabilized it for a time being. The poison was slow acting from the little information that they could tell. The darking of the younger male's veins was the only indication. It started from the origin of the wound and was working its way through his shoulders.

"Uncle Nanjiro, try calling her again. She might be done by now."

Nanjiro once again called Rinko at work and got her this time around. He explained to his wife about the situation that was at hand. She kept a cool head and told her husband that she would be home in 10 minutes.

"Rinko, will be here soon. We need to move him down to the medical room. It will be good for both of them," said Nanjiro.

Tezuka once again picked up the younger boy and carried him downstairs. He didn't know why, but something always tugged at his heart when it came to the freshman. At times the younger boy seemed so naïve and at others he seemed older then his real age. Tezuka was sure that Fuji had felt the same as well.

"Here we are Tezuka-san. You can place him on the bed," said Nanako.

"What will his okasan do with him?" asked Fuji.

"My wife will extract some of his blood, where the poison is at, and analyze it with a spell. I would have done it, but I wasn't trained within that realm of spells."

Soon a screech of tires was heard from the front and rushing footsteps were pounding loudly across the wooden floors. Rinko, came puffing into the room with a slight wild look in her eyes. She then kicked everyone, but Nanako out of the room.

"Will everything be okay?" asked Fuji. He and the other two were sitting in the living room waiting for the news about Ryoma.

"Rinko, will find a way to stop the poison. She is where Ryoma gets his stubbornness from. Don't worry, he will not die."

Time ticked by and soon the other regulars of the tennis club showed up to the home. They were all briefed about Ryoma's condition and took vigil with the other three males. Each were close to the youngest member of the group in different ways, but none were less worry then another.

"Inu, if Echizen-san has any of the poison left can you analyze it? Maybe it would help to make sure the rest of us are not in this same situation," said Tezuka. He was still their leader, their buchou and they trusted his thoughts on the matter.

"Hai, I'll start as soon as possible. It might take some time. Those were some other worldly creatures and my skills might not be 100 percent."

"Don't worry we have great faith in your skills," said Fuji. The others nodded their heads and gave small smiles.

Soon voices were heard and the two women walked out of the medical room. Everyone knew from the looks on their faces that everything would be okay. A sigh of relief was released into the room.

"He will be weak for a few days, but Ryoma will be fine. He's resting right now."

"Echizen-san, I was wondering if Inu could have a sample of the poison. He might find a way so that if this happens again there would be an antidote," said Tezuka.

Rinko agreed with the buchou and gave a vial of the poison to the tennis team data expert. The large group sat around the coffee table in the living room and explained what had happened that morning. Nanjiro called Ryoma a baka underneath his breath, but Rinko, who had overheard, knew that he didn't mean it. They both really loved their son and were proud of his brave act.

"I don't see why it would be a problem for you to help, but I must warn you that it will be harsh. Too many it would look like we are torturing him. You have to understand his body is still young and so is his powers," said Rinko.

"Hai, he will be pushed to his limit and beyond. We do this because we are one of the few families that help keep the darkness back. So, be prepared. We will start as soon as he has recovered," explained Nanjiro.

The teenagers all understood what the two parents meant. Oishi, couldn't be a mother hen. Kaido, would have to toughen up his sweet side. Eiji, would learn that not all of life is nice. Momo, would watch his friend be hurt in the name of protecting others. Kawamaru, couldn't be two different people, but bring both personalities together. Inu, could not be able to analyze or understand every little detail. Fuji, would know that not even his genius could solve all the problems. Tezuka, would know when to let go the chains of leadership and be a follower.

"We will help any way we can," said Oishi.

"Hai, for ochibi!"

"Hssss, for our teammate."

"Yeah, for our friend," said Momo.

"To learn and help stop those that mean harm."

"To help our city and family," said Kawa.

"Syah, to stopping the darkness."

"To not giving up."

* * *

**TBC**

So, yeah I'm sorry it took so long. Gomena ' Well, I hope you all like it. Please Read and Review!


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